Titanic
Titanic: ‘What Happened Was A Disaster, She Was Not’
The title quote is from Una Reily, MBE of the Belfast Titanic Society, and I couldn’t agree with her more. Belfast has a great deal to be proud of regarding the construction of Titanic and these past few weeks of commemoration have seen the reconnection of the city with the pride of the people who built her. I was pleased to attend the 100th Anniversary Titanic Commemoration Service at Belfast City Hall this past Sunday April 14th, the date of the ship’s sinking 100 years ago. The service included music from the Harlandic Male Voice Choir and Queen’s Island Male Voice Choir, the City of Belfast Youth Orchestra Brass Section, and music guest Brian Kennedy. The video above has some highlights from the ceremony including speeches from the Lord Mayor Niall O’ Donnghaile, MBE of the Belfast Titanic Society Una Reilly, and memoirs from the late President of the Belfast Titanic Society John Parkinson who remembered seeing the ship before she set sail. The music in the video is a compilation of music that was performed during the ceremony. The first song is a hymn that would have been well known and sung 100 years ago, ‘Eternal Father Strong to Save,’ which is a plea to ‘hear us when we cry to thee, For those in peril on the sea.’ The final song ‘Nearer my God to Thee’ was heard by the people on the last life boats as they rowed away from Titanic while she sank, it is the last song performed by the ship musicians in attempts to keep a sense of calm on the ship.
